As you
may know, a petition to add a class of former employees at the S-50 Oak Ridge
Thermal Diffusion Plant, in Oak
Ridge, Tennessee, to the Special Exposure Cohort (SEC) under the
Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) was
received by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
This letter is to provide you with information on the status of this petition
and the effect this petition may have on your claim.

On November 9, 2006, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Michael
Leavitt, designated the following class for addition to the SEC in a report to
Congress:

Employees
of the Department of Energy predecessor agencies and their contractors or
subcontractors who were monitored or should have been monitored while working
at the S-50 Oak Ridge Thermal Diffusion Plant for a number of work days
aggregating at least 250 work days during the period from July 9, 1944, through
December 31, 1951, or in combination with work days within the parameters
established for one or more classes of employees in the SEC.

Since Congress did not take
any action within 30 days of the submission of this report, this designation became
effective on December 9, 2006.

This letter is to let you
know that your claim for benefits under EEOICPA may be affected by this new
designation. Our records indicate that you, or the energy employee on the
claim, worked at the S-50 Oak Ridge Thermal Diffusion Plant during the period
from July 9, 1944, through December 31, 1951, and were diagnosed with an
SEC-specified cancer.

All decisions regarding your
status as a member of the SEC, and any resulting action on your EEOICPA claim,
will be made by the Department of Labor (DOL). We have sent a list of all
claims that are with NIOSH awaiting completion of a dose reconstruction that
appear to involve employment at the S-50 Oak Ridge Thermal Diffusion Plant
during the period from July 9, 1944, through December 31, 1951 and an
SEC-specified cancer to DOL for their review. Employment during this period
and type of cancer are only two of the factors that DOL must consider to
establish membership in the SEC. You will be informed of the results of this review
when it is complete.

I hope this information is
helpful. Should you have any further questions about the SEC process, or
eligibility requirements for the new class of employees that has been added to
the SEC, you should contact NIOSH at 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) or e-mail
us at ocas@cdc.gov. Additional information on NIOSH activities under
EEOICPA can also be found at our website www.cdc.gov/niosh/ocas.